Monthly Archives: July 2016

Over the course of the summer, you will create 4 to 8 well-developed still life drawings with pencil. I have included a list of 24 ideas at the bottom of this blog post. Feel free to choose any topics from this list.

Here are a few examples of the level of drawing I am looking for:

Supplies:

Quality drawing paper (not copy paper). Some of these can be done as small as 9×12″, but you will get better results if you work slightly larger, such as 11×14″ or 12×16.”

Drawing pencils (2H, HB, 2B, 4B, 6B)

Kneaded and regular eraser

A variety of blending tools. Blending stumps give you the most control, but in a pinch, Q-tips, napkins, and paper towels will do. Don’t use tissues or your fingers – they both contains oils that will discolor your drawing!

Requirements:

Composition

How are the objects arranged? A good still life will contain overlap, show movement, and balance the positive and negative space. A photo-realistic drawing of a bad composition is still a poor quality artwork! You may want to post photos of a few different arrangements and angles and ask Ms. Lawson to help critique which would make the most visually interesting drawing.

Proportion

Are all parts of the still life drawn appropriately sized to one another?

Value/Shading

Is there a clear light source? How have you shown this?

Attention to detail

Details are what make a drawing look realistic. The more time you spend capturing details and textures, the more realistic your drawing will look.